Angels' young arms are pulling their weight

ANAHEIM – When the season began, it was no stretch to suggest that the fortunes of the Angels would be largely shaped by the performance of three pitchers: Hector Santiago, Garrett Richards and Tyler Skaggs.

They were each question marks – none had spent a full year in a big league rotation – asked to fill out the rotation beyond the established duo of Jered Weaver and C.J. Wilson.

As April turns to May, their collective performance has given the Angels reason for optimism.

The three pitchers, who will each pitch in this weekend’s first meeting of the season against the rival Texas Rangers, have combined for a 3.37 ERA.

“I feel really good about where they’re at right now,” pitching coach Mike Butcher said. “There is always room for improvement. They just need to continue doing what they are doing.”

After five turns through the rotation, Richards has a 2.53 ERA and Skaggs has a 3.34 mark, each pitching at a best-case scenario level. Santiago, the pitcher who had the most big league experience of the three, has been the worst. He has a 4.44 ERA, but it’s 2.65 since he’s gotten past a back issue that bothered him in his first two starts.

Santiago has some catching up to do if he’s going to stick with his counterparts, Richards and Skaggs.

Both have made significant changes and improvements, in Skaggs’ case just since the start of spring training.

For Richards, 25, a combination of a mechanical change with a new approach has helped him evolve from the inconsistent pitcher who brought a 4.42 ERA into the season.

One of Richards’ problems was that his sinker would occasionally cut into the path of a hitter’s swing instead of having the sharp down and in (to a righty) movement.

Before this year, he gave up line drives on his sinker 4.4 percent of the time, contributing to a .298 average against the pitch. This year, the line drives are only 1.8 percent, and opponents are hitting .175 against the pitch.

“It’s been a two-year process, with me and Butch,” Richards said. “We ironed out a simple, clean delivery. When I do that, the ball takes care of itself.”

Having more consistent stuff, of course, helps Richards trust it, so he can confidently throw pitches in the strike zone and know the movement will make the pitches tough to hit. Instead of trying to finesse his way to ground balls and early contact, he’s just trying to pound the zone. His strikeout rate has climbed from 15.7 percent to 24.6 percent.

“This year I’m not pitching to contact,” Richards said. “I want to go out and throw a perfect game every time I pitch. That’s my mentality. Almost like pitching with your hair on fire.”

Yet remaining in control while he burns. Richards credited catcher Chris Iannetta for “keeping me in line and not letting my emotions get the best of me.”

Confidence has also been a key for Skaggs, who, unsolicited, gave credit to the Angels sometimes maligned pitching coach for propping him up.

Butcher helped Skaggs rediscover his lost velocity – partly with a simple lengthening of his stride – but more important was refining his delivery so he could finally throw an effective sinker.

Skaggs had the velocity all spring, but he still got knocked around in Arizona because he didn’t have the sinker. He said he tried to throw it all spring, but couldn’t throw it for strikes.

“It was a frustrating spring training, but having that frustrating spring training and figuring out that feel for throwing it is what helped me,” Skaggs said.

It finally clicked when Skaggs had two bullpen sessions in the six days between his final exhibition outing and his first regular-season start, and he hasn’t looked back. The effective sinker has helped Skaggs become the most efficient pitcher on the entire staff, averaging just 3.45 pitches per hitter, down from 3.87 in his first 13 big league starts. He’s averaged seven innings per start, tops among the three young starters.

“To have a 22-year-old kid step into a starting rotation and handle it the way he has so far is pretty impressive,” Richards said. “He’s a competitor. He has great stuff. He’s still young. He’s still figuring some stuff out, but I’m impressed with what he’s done so far.”

Santiago, 26, who said “it’s been fun to watch” Richards and Skaggs, is still hoping to join the party.

After an excellent showing in the Cactus League, Santiago said he hurt his back on the drive from Arizona to Southern California. In his final exhibition start against the Dodgers and his first two regular-season starts, he was out of whack because of the injury.

It probably didn’t help that all along he was feeling some pressure. He was the one with 27 major league starts under his belt. He was the one who had been penciled in at No. 3.

“It was tough, honestly,” Santiago said. “I felt like I was trying to prove myself. I have been here plenty of times. Instead of saying, ‘It’s my spot,’ I felt like I was trying to earn it. I was putting added pressure on myself.”

Santiago said he’s now aware that he didn’t have the right mind-set – or a healthy back – and he feels he’s beyond both.

“It’s been a little up and down, a work in progress,” he said. “Hopefully it’s turned around and we’re good to go for now.”

NOTES

The Angels will recall Grant Green from Triple-A Salt Lake City before Friday’sgame. Green, who was hitting .349, takes the roster spot of reliever Yoslan Herrera, who was optioned after Wednesday's game, as the Angels go back to a seven-man bullpen.

An infielder, Green has started the past six games at Salt Lake City in left field. Manager Mike Scioscia said last week that move was just to add to his versatility, so it's unclear if they intend to give Green a chance to start in a corner outfield spot while Josh Hamilton and Kole Calhoun are on the disabled list. Green also played outfield in the Oakland A's system in 2012. … Left-hander Michael Roth cleared waivers and returned to Double-A Arkansas. Roth was designated for assignment when the Angels added Mike Morin to the 40-man roster.